How do you keep your kids in the social life and not empty your pockets?

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Dawn - posted on 09/03/2009

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Im not a church goer either they way my son gets to interact with kids is by setting up a little pool in my front lawn the pool always attracts kids attention or even if you put a few outside toy there and play with your son sometimes the other kids will ask if they can play too and then this way usually the parent comes over too and you have some to talk to. i also organize a little dance/ game party where all you do is supply juice.....

a little kid friendly music a couple decks of cards and some easy bored games out on the lawn and a table with some juice and then just ask friends family neighbors to come over and play.... you can have a great deal of fun if you just play the cards right....

also the kids learn a great deal from these partiessharing, being kind, being fair, taking turns, being honest and most of all having fun without spending alot of money

well, a lot of these responses talk about going to the church...... but... a lot of us are not religious. i dont know if you are or arent, but i am not. anyways, i have a 2 year old daughter and we go the park(playground) every other day or so and she always meets someone to play with there. what about some outdoor splash parks, those are free, and there are always lots of kids there. i also have quite a few friends with children too and we have playdates 2-3 time a week...what about going to your local swimming pool?? it costs money, but its not very expensive at all, and i know here where i live if you have more than one child with you, you get a family rate which is even cheaper. what about getting other people you know with kids together for a picnic.. you could ask everyone coming to bring something..like a picnic potluck! just some ideas, hope this helps !!!

we just started my oldest (4) in cyber school for pre-k, so this is very important to us, especially since she might like cyber and stay with it through school. our daughter gets her social life thru church, the library, weekly playgroups, and lots of visits with cousins close in age.

Our Church has a lot of activities as well for the kids mainly the teens some for the little ones, With the little ones at the beginning of summer i started taking them to the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time with in a few weeks I noticed a few other moms doing the same thing we started talking and starting planning those days potluck type picnics and some mom time for us.

Also most libraries have reading time for certain age groups, check any local malls they may have different activities, check with your local community center for different activities they are offering.

At my daughter's school we have a Community Learning Center. They do several activities with little to no cost. They also offer after school tutoring for no cost. My daughter got to play tennis (took a match and won 2nd place), softball, basketball, etc. Also check out your local Boys and Girls club!

We started by just visiting a playground, but now have started looking in mom magazines (ie metrokids, curious parents, SJ moms). They have several events in our local area and many are free. You can also look into playgroups.

For us, our church has been a big help. My kids are 2, 5, 12, and 14. Our church is big so they've got alot of programs. The 5 and 12 yr old play on soccer leagues. There is a kindergarden choir the 5 yr old is in and our youth group's for the 12 and 14 yr olds do ALOT of activities. They do summer camps, sleepovers, concerts, parties, etc. To help w/ the cost we have fundraiser breakfasts and lunches before/after services. Even if your church doesn't offer this or you're not a member of a church-all good churches are welcoming to visitors and should help you find something to fit your family!